“Of course, of course. You are like your father. You are not a minor, Miss Cairns?” Lavigne inquired tentatively.
“Hardly.” Leslie smiled. “And you don’t have to consult my father. He has told me to do as I pleased with my own money. I’ll ask you to observe absolute secrecy in the matter. When the battle is won, then he is to be told.”
“You may trust me to serve you as best I can, Miss Cairns,” Lavigne declared with flattering sincerity. “In a few days I will go to Hamilton and look over the situation. I can tell you then what ought to be done. Where shall I address you?”
“At the Essenden until day after tomorrow. Then I’m going back to Hamilton. My address there is the Hamilton House.” Leslie rose to conclude her call. She was reminded that her father’s interviews with others were always brief. She was experiencing all the sweetness of vengeful exultation. At last she was going to “get back at Bean.”
CHAPTER XX.
MARJORIE’S CALLER
“I thought you were never coming back, Jerry Macy!” Marjorie dropped into the depths of the near-by arm chair with a weary little flop. “I’ve worked like mad for as much as an hour getting up my share of the eats for Ronny’s birthday spread.” She poked out her red under lip and tried hard to look aggrieved. The sparkle in her eyes contradicted the pretence.
“How could you harbor such disloyal thoughts of me, Beautiful Bean? You are beautiful, even if your lip is away out of place,” Jerry tenderly assured.
“Being beautiful doesn’t make me feel rested.” Marjorie still searched for cause to complain. “For why did you stay away so long, Jurry-miar?”
“There’s the cause of my lingering longering.” Jerry held up a good-sized pasteboard box tied with stout string. “Just wait till you see it. I had to toddle all around Hamilton in search of a cake. When all seemed lost we bumped into this glorious, scrumptious cocoanut layer cake.” She set the box on the table and untied the string.